This was an unreal situation and it almost felt like a dream to the blonde, as she took in her surroundings,... or at least tried to. She couldn't even form the simplest of words, and when Regina met her eyes, Emma only managed to snort out a sound that could be categorized as somewhat of a laugh, but not really.
"Cat got your tongue, Miss Swan?" the brunette purred, then leaned in and pecked the younger blonde's lips.
The queen felt utterly satisfied with her gifts already even if Emma hadn't seen them, but it didn't matter. She knew her girlfriend was so happy about this, since it was always the other way around.
The people around them were baffled by these two women, and didn't understand how they could behave like two teenagers in love, when they had actually been a couple for almost 6 years now.
And Emma, well, she was kinda famous around here when it came to her skills at surprises and gifts, always making sure to remind Regina how much she loved her.
There was this one time, where Emma had blindfolded Regina and taken her to a fancy hotel that had almost cost a fortune, but only the best was good enough for her queen.
And this other time Emma had drove them out to an old farm where they had spent an entire weekend horseback riding and skinny dipping in the moonlight. She had of course done so much more, but those times were Regina's absolute favorite memories.
There was, however, also this sad backstory to Emma's kindness, something only the two of them actually knew anything about.
Emma had lived a horrible life, always feeling like she didn't belong, which had lead to numerous bouts of depression and even a few suicide attempts.
She never had someone to truly care about her and, unfortunately, due to her kind nature, people took advantage of her and used her, throwing her away when they got tired of her.
Despite all this Emma never changed, and never gave up on her dream of that special someone who would walk that extra mile for her.
It broke Regina's heart to even think about, because Emma deserved so much, and so much more than the brunette had ever been able to give her, which made Regina feel bad from time to time.
But it was wasn't like Regina didn't show her appreciation, because she did, in her own way.
For example, she always made sure Emma never went to sleep without knowing how much Regina loved her, and she also made sure Emma never went hungry.
She never forgot how Emma had told her about how the blonde had gone to bed countless times, over the years, with a growling stomach. She had grown up in the foster care system and the stories she'd told Regina, still sent shivers down the queen's spine.
Sadly though, the reality was that Emma had gone hungry as a adult as well, because she had a hard time getting any kind of work, in order to be able to take care of herself. She didn't have good grades from school, so she just had to take what was offered to her, and when she once in a while had money, well, food was the last thing she spent it on.
Emma rather chose to spend the small cash on some sleazy motel room, just to avoid sleeping outside, even if she had been forced to do that anyway at times.
Regardless of all this, and all the hard times Emma had endured, it was hard to believe it when you met her.
She was so kind, so sweet and so beautiful. To Regina, Emma was the most beautiful soul she'd ever met, and it was painful to even think about all the terrible times Emma had endured, even if the blonde never actually said much about it.
But it didn't matter, because even if Emma didn't talk about it, Regina saw the sadness in her girlfriend's eyes from time to sadness though, nobody else other than her noticed.
It always made her feel a sudden urge to protect Emma, to tell her without words, how she would never hurt the blonde or leave her.
So when the sadness stinged in Emma's eyes, she always pulled her into a deep hug. No words were never uttered in moments like that, but they didn't need anything else except for each other's touch.
Their paths had crossed kind of randomly, and Regina would never forget when Emma had stumbled onto her doorstep that cold and rainy night over 7 years ago, asking if she could borrow a phone, absolutely drenched, with a small kid holding her hand.
The brunette closed her eyes for a second and let the memory wash over her. It felt like it had been yesterday, that her life had taken that unexpected turn.
Regina had just cleaned the kitchen counter, after having a late evening snack, when she found herself standing in the kitchen, simply glancing out the window. It was pouring outside and the wind was only making matters worse.
She was so fed up with this stupid weather and decided to go upstairs to her bed, when a sudden knock caused her to change her course of action.
It was such a small, quiet, and almost unsure knock and Regina couldn't help but wonder who desperately needed to see her, this late in the evening?
At first she wanted to ignore the knock, too tired to actually actually find out who it was, but something told her not to.
So with a sigh, she made her way to the front door and quickly turned the lock. Soon enough, Regina stood face to face with a sight that would haunt her dreams for years to come.
Outside on her doorstep, stood a blonde woman, who couldn't have been more than a couple of years younger than the brunette, dressed in nothing but a white tank top and ripped jeans, absolutely soaking wet.
Next to her, holding the blonde woman's right hand, was a small boy, and he was holding onto her hand for dear life. He wasn't dressed in much better clothes than the blonde woman, but Regina couldn't really see his face since he was hiding under a red leather jacket, that had to belong to the blonde.
"Yes?" Regina asked, breaking the silence that had surrounded them for a couple of minutes.
"So… sorry for… for disturbing this late but.. My car broke down and I just wanted.. To ask if I could borrow your phone?" the blonde managed to stutter out and just as Regina was about to dismiss her, she quickly realized she couldn't. What kind of monster would she be if she had done so?
"I'm Emma by the way, and this is my son Henry," the blonde added and held out her hand for Regina to shake.
The brunette hadn't expected such manners from this blonde stranger, because well, she didn't look like such a person. Regina knew she couldn't judge someone so fast as she did, but she always had and probably always would.
"Mommy, I'm cold…" the small boy suddenly groaned and looked up at Emma, and Regina felt her otherwise cold heart, break for them, and it surprised her.
She never cared about anyone else but herself. It was just the kind of person she was. She was used to keeping people at a distance, and prefered to keep to herself. She didn't really know why, but it had just been like that for so many years.
But there was something unexplainable about this blonde woman and her brunette son, that got under Regina's skin, making it impossible for her to just slam the door in their faces, and she couldn't help but wonder why they were out this late in the first place.
Young little Henry had to have school the next morning and Emma had to have a job she was supposed to wake up to?
Right?
Then again, something just felt off.
"I'm Regina, and why don't you come inside and warm yourselves by the fireplace while you use my phone, hm?"
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to just barge in like that, and disturb even more of your family, I feel bad enough already, so just let me make the call out here and we will be out of your hair in a few minutes."
The brunette took a step forward to lay her hand Emma's shoulder, but the sudden touch made the blonde pull back, her face almost screaming of what had to be, well, fear?
"You're not disturbing me and I'm the only one who lives here, so please, I insist," Regina replied with a crooked smile, and it didn't take more than a few seconds before Henry had let go of his mother's hand and run into the house.
"Well, it looks like Henry already accepted your proposition so ehm… " Emma chuckled, before she finally followed Regina inside, even if she didn't really want to.
It didn't take long before Henry fell asleep on the floor, by the fireplace. Emma had managed to find some dry clothes for him in the car that he had slipped into, while Regina had fetched two pillows and a blanket from one of her guestrooms.
Unfortunately Emma hadn't packed any clothes for herself, but it wasn't like it was the first time she had forgotten about herself. Regina had offered her one of her nightgowns along with some slacks, even if Emma had been hesitant at first.
But since Regina didn't take no for an answer, Emma had finally taken the clothes, and while she got dressed, the brunette went into the kitchen to fix them some hot chocolate.
"You didn't have to invite us in like this, Regina. It was more than enough to let me just use your phone," Emma said carefully, refusing to meet Regina's eyes. Emma just felt so bad for having to ask a stranger for help, since she hated to both ask for help and accept help.
It was in that particular moment, Emma realized she hadn't even used the phone Regina had offered her, but thankfully the brunette hadn't questioned it.
"Emma, it's okay, I have told you that a thousand times already but I will say it a thousand times more if needed, you're not a burden and neither is your son," Regina said, her voice making Emma snap back to reality, as her eyes met the brunette's kind and beautiful ones.
"And I hope you don't mind me asking this, but what were you two even doing out this late? And how did you end up here, in the middle of nowhere?" Regina added, and Emma looked away again, which made the brunette wonder what kind of tragic backstory this blonde woman really had.
"I don't want to talk about it.." Emma replied, with a hiss, even if she didn't actually mean to snap at the woman who had given her and her son a roof over their head for the night.
She quickly regretted her tone, as she met Regina's confused eyes, and then added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just really, really tired. And I'm a terrible person and don't make me begin with how bad of a mom I am…"
Regina quirked an eyebrow, feeling her stomach churn, because she recognized that look Emma had in her eyes after uttering those words. Seconds later, the brunette noticed the black eye Emma had, something she hadn't seen earlier.
"You're on the run, aren't you? Escaping a abusive man?" Regina asked suddenly, and the question made Emma tense up. It wasn't like Emma was the first woman who had escaped an abusive living situation with her child, that Regina had met.
The brunette actually worked with helping women like Emma, but never before had anyone showed up on her doorstep like this though. It was a different and difficult situation, to say the least, and Regina understood somewhat the chaos that must have been twirling around in Emma's head.
"Please, don't take my kid away from me…" Emma stuttered, while the tears threatened to spill over any second.
"Henry's the only good thing that that asshole has ever given me… so please don't take away the only thing that actually matters to me…"
Regina rose from her seat, and kneeled down in front of Emma, gently taking her hands in hers, refusing to allow the blonde to break eye contact.
"I would never do such a thing," Regina said softly and with so much kindness.
"You.. You wouldn't?"
"No, because I work with women like you Emma, women who are either stuck or on the run due to domestic abuse. And if you would let me, I can help you make sure you never have to worry about that awful man again, okay?"
"I don't have a nickel to my name though… "
"Don't think about the money, that's the least of our problems."
"Are you for real? I mean… this feels almost too good to be true," Emma said, smiling tiredly through her tears.
"I assure you I'm not as good as you make me out to be but what I'm saying is at least true, so if you want to, I can absolutely help you."
After that night, both women's lives changed dramatically and Emma had quickly befriended Regina, a friendship that in the end, would turn into something much more.
Emma gently gripped Regina's hand, then gave it a gentle squeeze, bringing the brunette back to the presence.
"Lost along memory lane again huh, Miss Mills?" Emma asked with a smirk, and Regina rolled her eyes at her obnoxious girlfriend. She still managed to annoy Regina to no end sometimes, but she decided to let this one slip, just this once.
Instead she dragged the blonde with her, down the trail of red and purple wild roses, knowing that the two surprises that awaited Emma at the end of this trail, would make the blonde truly speechless.
"Just keep your mouth shut and follow me, will you, Miss Swan?" Regina said with a grin, and Emma rolled her eyes but nodded her yes, mostly because she was so incredibly curious about what Regina had in store for her. It was the first surprise she'd ever given her, so Emma could hardly contain her curiosity, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.
Regina smirked to herself as she came down to the rocks where she'd placed two boxes. Emma already gasped before she'd opened them.
"What is all this?" Emma asked, and Regina just shrugged, with a mischievous smile on her lips.
"Just open them, and you'll see, dear," the brunette said with a chuckle, watching how eager her girlfriend was and how hard she concentrated on deciding which box to open first.
Finally Emma opened the smaller box, where there laid a key, and nothing more. The blonde frowned, and turned around to meet Regina's twinkling eyes.
"Babe, what's this?" she asked.
"Oh, what, this?" Regina said with a chuckle, as she took a step forward to stand next to her incredibly confused girlfriend.
"Remind me to never let you be the one in charge of the surprises like, ever again," Emma mumbled under her breathe. The blonde wasn't a person with a patience, and it was something Regina of course knew, yet she decided to do it this way. She knew Emma would forgive her when she knew to what the key belonged though.
"Why don't you think about that for a minute, while you open the next surprise?" Regina purred, then placed a kiss on Emma's neck. The blonde always melted at that, which she did now as well.
"Mkay," she said as she leaned her neck and gave Regina more access to her neck.
Emma felt her head spin, but couldn't for dear life, understand what that weird looking key could be for. Without really paying attention to what she was doing, her eyes widened as she opened the next box, almost stumbling backwards.
Inside the box, laid a pregnancy test, and it was positive. Emma felt how her eyes teared up and an enormous smile spread on her lips. She and Regina had tried to get pregnant for a long while, but it had never happened, despite all those countless trips to the clinics and doctor appointments. And not to mention all the money it had cost them.
Henry was a teenager now, and even if Regina was his adoptive mother on paper and had been a part of his life since he was 7, she never truly felt like his mother for some reason. Emma didn't understand why, because to her, Regina was a better mother than she'd ever been.
"You're.. You're pregnant?" the blonde stuttered, as she turned around to meet Regina's eyes. The brunette was crying as she nodded her answer, unable to talk.
Emma eminently broke down in tears herself as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and pulled her into a tight hug. Seconds later though, Emma realized that the hug was maybe too hard, and she pulled back, drying her eyes.
Regina just chuckled.
"You're not gonna hurt the baby by hugging me, Miss Swan. I'm not that fragile," the brunette said gently.
"Well, it's better to be safe than sorry, or whatever the phrase is," Emma shrugged, feeling almost stupid for her reaction. But just like always, Regina could read her like a open book, as she took Emma's hand in hers.
"You don't have to feel stupid either, dear."
"How far along are you?" Emma asked, almost whispered as one of her hands found its way to Regina's stomach. She still couldn't believe it.
"About a month, more or less," the brunette replied, not sure if Emma actually heard her or not. The blonde seemed to be lost in her own world, focusing the whole of her attention on Regina's stomach. A chuckle escaped her lips again, as she cupped Emma's chin in her hands, making their eyes meet.
"So, any clues to what the key I gave you is for then?"
Emma shook her head. It had been difficult to think about it before, but after hearing about Regina's pregnancy, her brain had almost shut down in a way.
"Not a damn clue… "
"Well, I guess I have to show you then. Come on."
Emma didn't have a chance to reply, before Regina pulled her up and dragged her with her again, this time leading them to a small creek.
Birds were singing and it felt like they were in some kind of fairy tale. Well, that was before Emma's eyes saw the car with a big red bow around it. Now the blonde was almost one hundred percent sure she was dreaming.
"Miss Swan, this is what the key is for, " Regina said, but once again she was sure Emma didn't hear a word of what she'd just said, as the blonde ran up to the car, squealing like a little girl.
"You're kidding me! Is this my mustang?! Are you for real?!"
"Yes Emma, it's your car. But please, why don't you pop the trunk for me?"
"Ehm, okay," the blonde said, wondering what that mischievous smile on Regina's lips actually meant, but she didn't ask. She was too happy to questioning anything at the moment when she opened the trunk just as she was told, but quickly realized that the trunk was empty.
What the..?
"Gina, there's… " Emma stopped mid-sentence, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Miss Swan, would you marry me?"
The blonde felt her eyes tear up again, as she saw her girlfriend kneeling on one knee in front of her, with yet another box in her hand, this one with a beautiful gold ring in it.
"Yes!" the younger woman squealed.
After putting the ring on Emma's finger, Regina stood to her feet, and pressed a kiss to her future wife's lips.
"Regina, remind me to never let you be in charge of the surprises again," the blonde said with a chuckle as the both of them jumped into the mustang.
"Oh really? Well, I guess will return the Mustang then," Regina replied with a snarky tone and met Emma's eyes. God how she loved those eyes, that smile… her Emma.
"I meant more like our bank account won't allow gifts like this all the time, especially not when we're expecting another kid."
"Believe me, it's too stressful to plan things like this and I feel like these gifts have me cleared for at least 10 years to come."
"Well, yeah, I agree," Emma chuckled, then turned the key and closed her eyes to enjoy the roaring sound of the motor coming to life, before blinking her eyes open again, and put the car in gear.
"Now let's go and pick Henry up from school. He's gonna lose his mind when he sees this car!"
"Just drive Miss Swan," Regina replied, feeling incredibly proud of her gifts, and made sure to take in the feeling that surrounded her, that she finally managed to make Emma truly feel how much she loved her.